


The Seal Lullaby

by shadows_unnoticed



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Clouis, Dreams, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Lullabies, Music, Nightmares, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 19:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18611377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadows_unnoticed/pseuds/shadows_unnoticed
Summary: Clementine wakes up from a nightmare and can't go back to sleep so Louis plays her a lullaby.Oh hush thee, my babyThe night is behind us





	The Seal Lullaby

**Author's Note:**

> This takes places a few months after episode 4. I came up with this little story based on this song that I sang back in high school with my choir. I love this song so much and sometimes it helps me sleep at night. That's when the idea of Louis playing and singing this song to Clementine popped into my head and I knew I had to write it. Hope you guys enjoy it! :)

Clementine woke up with a gasp, her body shivering in a cold sweat. Her eyes moved frantically as her chest rose up and down at a very uneven pace. After what seemed like hours, she finally managed to get her breathing under control. Having nightmares was never new to her. Every so often, they would always find a way to haunt her in her dreams and normally, she wouldn’t let them take over. Tonight, was a _completely_ different story. This nightmare had shaken her to the core and she honestly did not want to go back to sleep.

She turned her attention to the window, staring at the full moon that lit up the night sky. It somehow brought her some comfort but still not enough to give her the peace of mind she was seeking. Knowing that sleep was not going to come to her anytime soon, she sat up in her bed and turned her attention to the empty bed on the other side of the room. AJ was invited to spend the night with Willy in his room, the two growing closer since Tenn’s death. Clem knew how much AJ missed his best friend, especially since it was him that had to make the hard call on the bridge that night, so she was very grateful to Willy for being there for him.

Still realizing that sleep was pointless at this point, she finally decided to get out of bed to clear her head. On the side of her bed was her prosthetic foot that AJ and the other kids had made for her, just like he had promised. It took her some time to adjust, with a couple of bumps here and there, but she finally managed to learn how to walk with it and get back to her old self. After adjusting the foot onto her amputated leg, she made her way to the door and slowly stepped into the hallway. 

As she made her way down the halls and out to the courtyard, she began to hear sounds coming from the admin building. Once inside, she heard the sounds getting her louder as she turned her head to the right. She smiled to herself, already getting the feeling of where the source was coming from. Her suspicions were confirmed as she walked down the hallway that lead to the music room and heard the keys of the piano being played ever so softly. When she got to the door, she opened it slowly and peeked her head through it and of course to no surprise, found a certain boy sitting right by the piano. _Louis_.

She found herself staring at him. She couldn’t help it. Everything about him just made her so happy and giddy inside. Her lips curved into a small smile as she watched his fingers glide so effortlessly over the keys of the piano and listened to him hum along to the music. She had to remember to ask him to teach her how to play one day.

As Louis continued to play, Clementine took the time to really admire him. The freckles that displayed on his face so perfectly, the way his brown eyes shined as he put his heart and soul into the music, that cute little smile he wore, and that beautiful voice of his sounding so smooth as it always did. It made her heart swell. _God,_ she really was lucky.

Finally deciding to make her presence known, she stepped inside the music room and approached the boy. Louis looked up as soon as he heard the sound of footsteps and smiled as soon as he saw it was her. “Hey there, stranger.”

“Hey”. Clementine responded quietly. “I wasn’t expecting you to be up.”

Louis shrugged his shoulders a bit. “Couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d come here and tickle the ivories for a bit. What brings you here?”

Clementine looked down, glancing at the ground for a moment before returning her attention back to him. “I couldn’t sleep either”, she said, sitting down beside him on the piano bench. “I…I haven’t been sleeping well lately. Never really could for a long time.”

Louis’ smile fell a little a bit, his eyes turning sad when they fell on hers. He could hear the pain and drowsiness in her voice, and it killed him. “Do you want to talk about it?” he whispered to her softly, intertwining his hand with hers, his thumb brushing her knuckles.

Clem sighed and closed her eyes for a bit before shaking her head. “I - I don’t want to. I can’t...not yet.” She admitted, her voice getting a bit shaky. That night at the McCaroll Ranch was one of the most traumatizing experiences she ever went through in her life. She couldn’t talk about it. She didn’t _want_ to talk about it. She went through hell and back to look for her precious boy and that painful memory was just too much for her handle. As much as she trusted Louis and wanted to tell him about what had happened, she just couldn’t find the strength to do it just yet.

Louis noticed her eyes were becoming teary, a few tears streaming down the side of her face. He quickly brushed them away with his thumbs before leaning in and embracing her gently in his arms, letting her bury her head in the crook of his neck. “It’s okay. You don’t need to tell me anything. You can tell me whenever you’re ready to. I don’t care how long that is. I can wait. After all, I am a very,  _very_ patient man,” he joked trying to lighten the mood, smiling when he heard a tiny giggle come from her.

“Louis,” she whispered, burying her head even further into his neck, his scent intoxicating her.

“Seriously though Clem,” Louis continued, his hold on her becoming more and more gentle. “Whenever you’re ready, you can talk to me. Whether it’s tonight, tomorrow, or a billion years from now. I promise you I’m here to listen,” he declared, stroking the curls in her hair softly.

Clementine removed her head from Louis’ neck and stared deeply into his brown eyes. _How_ on earth did she end up finding someone like him? She didn’t even know the answer to that question. Nowadays, it was so hard to find good people with a heart so pure in a world that’s full of death and cruelty. And yet, she managed to find her way to him. Hell, if she didn’t believe in faith and destiny, she certainly did now. They continued to stare at each other, a slight blush creeping on Clementine’s cheeks as she pressed her forehead against Louis’. Finally, he made the first move, tipping her chin up and pressing his lips softly against hers. Clementine parted her lips ever so slightly as she followed Louis’s soft movements. She could feel her heart beating faster than normal, as if it was getting ready to burst through her chest. Her insides felt so warm and fuzzy and she felt like she was floating. This was a feeling that she could possibly never get tired of having. Both finally pulled away, both of their eyes fluttering opening to look at each other. Louis looked at her with so much tenderness in his eyes, a huge smile growing on his face. Clem felt her face burn even more as she stared at him, smiling in return. Louis suddenly felt her body to begin to shiver slightly, noticing how she tried to bury herself deeper into his embrace.

“Are you cold?” he asked her, his voice barely a whisper.

Clem nodded her head, “A little bit, yeah.”

Louis began to slowly peel his jacket off his body leaving him in his green shirt. Clem began to stare at him, noticing how toned and well-built he was through his shirt. She was trying her best to look away, but her eyes wouldn’t listen to her. _Look away_ , _damn it_ , she told herself. Nope. Still not listening.

“Like what you see, darling?” Louis teased, smirking as he wrapped his coat around her.

“Shut up,” she muttered, blushing a bright tomato red at this point, feeling the warmth of his jacket engulf her body along with the sweet scent of him. It was very big on her no surprise, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.

Louis chuckled deeply before wrapping his arms around her once again, Clem leaning her head against his shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, the sound of silence bringing them comfort.

“Hey, Lou?” Clementine said softly after a while

“Yeah?” he murmured in response. 

“Can you um…” she whispered nervously. _Real smooth, Clementine, real fucking smooth_ , she cursed herself. “Do you think you can…play me something?”

Louis smiled at her as a soft chuckle escaped his lips. “Anything for you, my lady”, he exclaimed, his arms leaving her body and setting his hands to hover over the piano keys. “Any song requests?”

Clementine pondered for a moment. As much as she loved hearing him play and sing “Oh My Darling Clementine”, she wasn’t feeling up for it. And the song that he wrote especially just for her was beyond beautiful, but she wanted to hear something different for a change. “Surprise me,” she finally responded, looking up into his beautiful brown eyes.

For a moment, Louis wasn’t sure what to play. There were a billion songs that he could play for her right now and yet, he couldn’t think of the right one to play. He looked at her, noticing how tired she really was. It made him despondent as he thought about the many sleepless nights that Clementine had to go through. If he could take away all the pain and trauma she had to go through in her life, he would in a heartbeat. And then, it hit him. He knew _exactly_ what song to play for her. He intertwined his fingers together and pushed them out, all of them cracking in unison. After giving his knuckles a couple of cracks as well, he turned his attention to the piano and pressed a couple of keys, warming them up and making sure that they were still perfectly in tune. He gave Clem one more heartwarming look, took a deep breath, and finally began to [play](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxTghSZupv8).

This song was a personal favorite of Louis’. Back before the world went to shit and his parents divorced, his mother used to sing this soft melody to him every night before he went to bed. The very first night he sent to the school, he snuck into the music room and taught himself how to play the lullaby on the piano. He stopped playing it a year later. Tonight was the first time in a long time that he was playing it again and he couldn’t help but smile while listening to the familiar tune, the fond memories of his mother coming back to him. Silence fell between the two teenagers, the dark but beautiful melody being the only noise filling the room.

Louis closed his eyes for a moment as his fingers danced on the keys of the piano. Something suddenly took over him, he wasn’t sure what, but he started to sing. He was surprised that he could still remember the lyrics after all this time but glad he that he could anyway. Clementine found herself smiling as soon as she heard his voice, that beautiful voice she admired so much, accompany the melody of the piano.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered quietly, leaning her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes.

 _You’re beautiful,_ he thought to himself, glancing at her as he continued to play the lullaby.

After a few more moments, the song finally came to an end. Louis returned his hands to his lap with a sigh, promising himself to play the tune as often as he can from now on. He returned his attention back to Clementine, chuckling softly when he found her sound asleep on his shoulder. Being as quiet and delicate as he possibly could, he stood up from the piano bench and in one motion, lifted her up into his arms, and carried her bridal-style back to her room.

Once he reached her dorm, Louis gently laid Clem down onto her bed, removing his jacket off of her and placing it on the top bunk. She could always return it back to him in the morning. Next, he cautiously removed her prosthetic foot from her leg, and leaned it against the drawer. Seeing that she was now taken care, he gently tucked her under the blankets, making sure she would be warm and comfortable. Kneeling down to her level, he planted a soft kiss to her forehead and was about to make his way out of the room when he felt a hand tug at his wrist. Louis turned his head and saw Clementine staring at him, her eyes struggling to stay open.

“Stay,” she whispered softly to him.

“You sure?” he asked hesitantly, not wanting to intrude her.

Clem simply nodded her head, her eyes begging him not to leave, “Please.”

Louis smiled at her, pulling his boots off before he slowly climbed into bed and under the covers. Clementine quickly shifted into his arms and laid her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. They laid there in silence, Louis’ hand running up and down Clementine’s back, rubbing small circles every now and then.

“Lou,” she whispered, lifting her head up to look at him. 

“Hm?” he hummed in response, opening his eyes to look back at her.

Clementine stared deeply into his brown eyes, a smile growing on her face before pressing her lips softly against his for the second time tonight. There was something about this one that made her realize something and she knew in her heart, it was now or never. Pulling back slightly, she whispered against Louis’ lips, saying three special words that she wanted no one else to hear except him, “I love you.”

Louis’ eyes widened for a moment, his heart rate beginning to increase by the second. He always thought it would be him to make the declaration of love first, so this was a major surprise. Clementine searched his face, waiting for an answer and hoping she did not just complicate things between them. Before she could look away, she felt his hand grasp the side of her face and pulling her into another deep kiss, his other hand tightening against her back. “I love you too,” he finally responded, his thumb stroking her cheek as he continued to kiss her with all the love he could give her. “I love you so much.”

Clem smiled against his lips, heat radiating through her as their lips continued to move together. Both finally pulled away after a while, the smiles never leaving their faces. Clementine laid her head back down on Louis’ chest, sighing in content as she felt his arm wrap around her and hold her closely to him. With that, both teenagers finally went to sleep, Clementine feeling safe, at peace, and loved for the very first time in a long time.


End file.
